The next day. Noon break. Dormitory.
[Open the door]
The screen of the personal terminal lit up, and that simple message popped up.
Short. Rough. Straight to the point.
Slowly getting up, Asakusa Tetsu walked over and gently opened the door.
As expected, standing outside was Miss Kushida Kikyo.
Wearing a hoodie, hood pulled up, face mask on, she looked exactly like a popular idol secretly dating in the shadows.
She shot Asakusa a fierce glare, hurried inside, and shut the door behind her.
Pulling off her mask, she let out a long breath.
"So stuffy."
"Who told you to wrap yourself up like that?" Asakusa shrugged. Turning around, he opened the freezer he used to store his calming popsicles, took out two, unwrapped one and stuffed it into his mouth, then pressed the other against Kushida's sweaty cheek. "Here. Want one?"
In this heat, dressing like that was really something.
"..." After glancing at the popsicle against her face, Kushida looked up at him with a strange expression. "Put it away."
"I can't eat cold stuff."
You said yesterday you'd try to trust him more, and today the first thing he did was offer her something cold.
Not even a little goodwill!
"What a shame." Asakusa didn't get mad. He put the extra popsicle back into the freezer.
Normally, he wouldn't casually give these to anyone.
They were D-rank items, sure, and came in bulk packs, but there were only forty in total.
Their calming effect was surprisingly good. People always had moments when they needed to steady themselves, and shoving a popsicle in was a simple and effective way to cool down emotionally.
If he hadn't tested that one popsicle couldn't be divided for repeated use, he would've chopped them into cubes for maximum efficiency.
Making full use of resources was the right way.
He'd taken one out to calm himself down.
He'd said he wouldn't do anything, so he had to make sure his lower brain didn't take over.
That was the most basic step toward earning trust.
Of course, him doing nothing didn't mean Kushida would do nothing. If she stopped being satisfied with simple contact, he wouldn't insist on restraint either.
Everything depended on Miss Kushida.
"So," Asakusa sat back down on the bed and patted the spot beside him, smiling. "You've decided? To contribute to my great psychological research?"
"...Just trying it." Taking off her outdoor shoes and socks, she walked barefoot inside, took a deep breath, and sat beside him. "If you start touching me, I'll kill you."
"And what 'great psychological research'? You're just horny, aren't you?"
She gave him a look full of contempt.
"If that's what you think, I can only accept it." Asakusa spread his hands helplessly.
Misconceptions weren't easy to fix. If she insisted, so be it.
He opened his arms.
"Come on. If you're not planning to take off that coat, then let's just do it like this."
She'd wrapped herself up tightly. Even in his air-conditioned room, she'd only taken off her mask and hood.
Sweat had formed on her forehead, dampening the hair at her temples.
Honestly, he was worried she'd get heatstroke.
Kushida: "..."
To avoid being seen entering his room, she'd taken the empty staircase. But hallways were unpredictable, so she'd worn this outfit just in case.
She hadn't taken it off inside because she was still hesitating.
She was afraid cooling down would awaken his instincts.
She was also afraid he'd start touching her under the excuse of hugging.
Though he'd already touched everything he shouldn't have before…
Still, girls had to protect themselves.
Even if she looked like she'd delivered herself.
Looking at his open arms, Kushida hesitated, then made up her mind.
She'd come here for this.
She shifted her legs slightly, slowly raised her arms, and in turtle-like speed, moved closer.
Even through her pants, she could feel the warmth of his thigh.
Hot. Scorching. Almost like it could burn her.
…Not really that hot, but when you focused on it, it felt that way.
"So slow." Before she could crawl any closer, Asakusa leaned in, slid his arms under hers, and pulled her into his embrace.
"Mm—" A muffled sound escaped her chest as she was drawn into his arms, and a strange feeling rose within her.
Her irritation. Her hesitation. Her disgust toward her classmates. Her fear from exposing her true self.
All of it quietly melted away in this hug through thick layers of clothing.
"..."
Along with warmth came his scent.
She'd expected the typical smell of sweat, but what entered her nose was surprisingly clean.
…Laundry detergent.
A faint fragrance clung to his clothes, and once she got used to it, she noticed something else.
His own masculine scent.
This is bad. It's kind of… addictive.
Greedily breathing in his scent, Kushida unconsciously tightened her grip on his back.
…But honestly, it was really hot.
Even with air conditioning, wrapped in layers and pressed together like this, it was unbearably warm.
No cold air could get in.
Maybe… take off the coat?
A slightly bold thought surfaced in her mind.
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